Sleeping With The Enemy
by niya94
Summary: It's consuming and self-destructive, but he can't walk away. Starts with an alternative ending to 2x01 The Return. Damon/Katherine.
1. Unsaid Lies

**A/N: **Kind of an alternative ending to 2x01. Damon bit his tongue and didn't ask any questions. D/K from Damon's POV. Slight D/E.

Let me know what you think.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 The Unsaid Truth<strong>

Sunlight was streaming through the curtains landing on Katherine's nude body. Damon ran his fingers from her shoulder down to her hip, taking in every detail of her olive skin. One kiss had been enough to fuck it all, to ignore the several lifetimes he had pointlessly fought for her and bury himself in her. His fingers played with the curls lying on her waist as he cursed himself for his lack of self-control. Her breathing became shallower and she shifted a little.

"You really aren't gonna let me sleep, are you?" she groaned as she grabbed a pillow and covered her face. She was there. The woman he had grown to love and hate equally was now by his side like he had dreamed for over a century. He nearly choked as he swallowed the three words that automatically came to his mouth like an old, bad, really, really bad habit. He wouldn't let them get out. She didn't deserve them. Unfortunately, that didn't make them go away.

"Enough with the sleeping," he protested as he threw her pillow across the room and crawled on top of her. He had avoided asking any questions he didn't want to hear the answer to and she didn't open Pandora's Box either. They were good at this. Pretending she loved him as much as he loved her. Pretending she hadn't ripped his heart out just to play with it for a while.

"Yeah, like we've had any of that! Not that I mind," she replied with a hand on his chest. "This improved version of you is pretty enjoyable, but I really need some sleep, Damon." He silenced her with one finger and she tried to push him away but he wouldn't let her.

"You have to earn your freedom, honey. You owe me big time," he whispered into her ear, making her shiver. They still had great chemistry, but sadly that was the only thing left. He chuckled as she pretended to fight him, but not putting any effort in it. He cupped her breast with one hand while he kissed her neck painfully slowly. A complaining moan escaped her lips when his teeth sank into her flesh. She wrapped her legs around him and shifted them both so that he was lying on his back. She leaned over but stopped when the sound of the front door opening reached her ears. Stefan and Elena. Talk about bad timing.

"Fuck," she groaned and got off the bed, looking for her clothes. "Fuck!" she cursed more loudly, staring at the rags that last night were her shirt and jeans. She opened a drawer and pulled out a black piece of clothing. "You won't miss this shirt, will you?" she said as she put the fabric over her head.

Damon took her by the waist and spoke into her neck, "This isn't over, Miss Katherine. Where can I find you?" Stefan wouldn't get much sleep if she stayed over. And he wasn't sure if he even wanted him to know about it.

"I'll call you," she replied. She turned and stopped him from complaining with a kiss. Of course she wouldn't tell him where she was staying. She had to be the one pulling the strings. But he wasn't the kid she had met in 1864 anymore. He may still be in love with her, but he wasn't that naïve anymore. There was a reason she was back in Mystic Falls and he would find out sooner or later.

She disappeared as Elena's panicked voice echoed through the house. "Damon!" He put some clothes on and blurred downstairs. She was staring wide-eyed at the nearly destroyed parlor. He remembered breaking a chair or two last night but he had obviously been more out of it than he thought. The floor was flooded with broken glass from the lamps and half the furniture had been heavily damaged.

"What the hell happened?" Stefan asked more irritated than surprised.

He took a deep breath and walked to his Scotch supply, which was miraculously intact. "Katherine came by last night," he explained. He'd stick to the truth as much as possible. He poured himself a drink and put his miserable face on. That would probably keep them from asking uncomfortable questions. He was a great actor, after all.

"Are you… ok?" Elena asked concerned. Their eyes met but he couldn't hold her gaze. An almost forgotten feeling emerged to the surface. Shame. His father had been the only one capable of making him feel ashamed. How did that little human girl manage to resuscitate feelings he thought he had left behind along with his humanity? That face would be the end of him. Now he was really feeling miserable.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "Any unwanted visits at the Gilberts'?" Stefan had spent the night with Elena in case Katherine showed up, but he couldn't tell him he had made sure she was busy all night. Since when did he hide anyway?

"No," answered Stefan. "What did Katherine say?" he demanded, either not buying or not caring about his half-true misery.

"We didn't talk much, as you can see," Damon replied pointing at the post-F4-tornado living room. He finished his drink and patted Stefan on the shoulder on his way upstairs. "You were right, Stef."

"About what?" his brother asked confused.

It hadn't been real. She may not have compelled his love, unlike Stefan's, but it hadn't been real either. She was just having fun. Could he really blame her? He had done the same thing more times than he could count… Great, now he was growing a conscience too. He just kept unlocking new levels of silliness.

"I'll call the cleaning lady," was the only answer Stefan received.


	2. I Hate Myself For Loving You

**A/N**: Takes place in/after 2x02 Brave New World.

This chapter was really hard for me to write. Sorry for the delay. I hope you like it!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 I Hate Myself For Loving You<br>**

"You, bitch!" he spit out, slamming his room's door. He was an idiot. What did he expect from her? He knew what he was getting himself into right from the beginning. And he got stabbed in the guts, just like he deserved. Only this time literally.

"I don't really like that nickname," Katherine pouted and turned around to face a rage-radiating Damon.

"Well, they haven't come up yet with a word that would describe _you_," he fired back and watched her smirk. Seriously? Was she really amused? "Why the fuck did you turn her?" he snapped. "You knew perfectly well what she'd do."

"Come on, Damon. You know why! The girl can be pretty useful when you know which strings to pull. I couldn't help myself," she explained. "Nothing personal."

He stormed towards her and sank his finger in her face so hard that if she had been human he would have left her with some pretty ugly bruises. "I find your new minion trying and almost succeeding in killing me pretty personal, Kat."

She pushed his arm away effortlessly and asked with a sigh, "what happened?"

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><p>Damon walked down the high school corridor trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for the Lockwoods. If they were neither vampires nor humans, what the hell was left? Aliens? It didn't make any sense.<p>

All of a sudden, a metallic object perforated his back, snapping him out of his thoughts. He reached back and pulled out a giant cooking knife. It scrapped his spine on its way out which left him with a painful tingling on his legs for a few seconds. "Ouch," he complained and he focused on any sound that would give away his attacker. Who had he pissed off this time?

"I come in peace," he announced. "You clearly don't…" he turned the chef knife in his hands oscillating it on his index finger. "But hey! No hard feelings!" he singsonged to the apparently empty corridor.

He picked the sound of high heels approaching him at an inhuman speed. He pinned the woman against a wall, but he didn't expect being stabbed again, this time by a wooden stake. Thank God he healed quickly or he'd end up like a Swiss cheese.

He looked up at the blonde. "Caroline?" he winced. No good deed goes unpunished in this town, does it? "What the-"

She lifted him by the throat and switched their positions before he could finish his sentence. "So wood it is," she whispered looking at the stake sticking out of his stomach, as if making a mind-note. He was too shocked to form any coherent thoughts.

"What? You thought you could use me in every way you felt like and get away with it?" Great! All his compulsion from the past had worn off.

"Kinda." He reached to remove the stake but the angry newborn grabbed it before him and twisted it a few times causing him to groan in pain.

"No, Mr. Cocky. I'm not done with you yet."

"Who turned you?" he said in-between winces. She grew confused for a moment and he took advantage of it, throwing her across the corridor.

"Now, this is what I call ironic," he mocked. "I can't wait to see Liz's face when she finds out. It'll be priceless," he said finally pulling the stake out of his stomach and walked predatorily towards her. "You have to learn to respect your elders, little lady. Or you may end up with your pretty eyes poked out," he said and crouched beside her. "I learned that the hard way," he added and his fingers brushed the side of her face. All her courage vanished and a scared kitten curled up into a ball took her place. He almost felt sorry for her. "Now… what am I gonna do with you?" he thought aloud, playing with the stake in his hands. He'd at least try to get her to say who turn her before he got rid of her.

"Oh, God!" Elena's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What the hell are you doing, Damon?"

Before he could react Caroline had Elena against a locker. "Why did you do this to me?" she cried. "Why did you kill me?"

"Shit! Not _her_ again!" he groaned.

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><p>"Later, that little Bennett witch almost cremated me for trying to fix your mess. I'm sure there's an urn with my name in her living room," complained Damon. "Jeez, I was doing them a favor! And to top it all, now Stefan's playing mommy and daddy with Vampire Barbie." There was hardly anything his brother could do to become more pathetic.<p>

He glanced at Katherine, who was now sitting cross-legged on his bed playing with her curls. She didn't even pretend to be listening to him. "You really don't give a shit, do you?"

He couldn't believe himself. Had he really expected her to show regret? And he thought Stefan was pathetic…

And then she laughed. She fucking laughed! "You're so cute when you get angry," she said playfully biting one finger.

Angry didn't even begin to cover it. His blood had reached boiling point and his brain seemed unable to stop generating more and more torture scenarios involving the Queen Bitch in sweet, bloody agony. But still, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't capable, physically nor emotionally, of killing her. So he'd have to put on his best poker face.

He stood in front of her, lifting her chin up. "You haven't seen angry, hon'," he tried to intimidate her. It would've work on anyone. Anyone but Katherine.

"Show me then," she replied, pulling his shirt. She was trying to tangle him in her web again, but he wasn't giving in. Not this time.

"Stop playing with me," he stepped back, "and answer the question. What do you want with Caroline?"

"You're not as smart as I thought," she mocked him, and then narrowed her eyes, "you really wanna know?" she asked and waited for him to reconsider.

"Yeah!" he demanded. Not knowing was consuming him. And with that he had finally broken their unofficial silence contract.

"You just had to ruin our fun, huh? Maybe it's Elena you want to have fun with…" she insinuated accusingly. "I don't like that failed copycat of me. And yet, she still has both of you wrapped around her little finger."

"That's not an answer," he interrupted her impatient. He waited for her to go on, but she didn't. Apparently she was done talking, so he'd have to put the pieces together himself.

_Ok, Damon. Time to think. What has she told you 'till now?_

She didn't like the fact that both he and his brother had turned their attention to Elena. After his soul-bearing speech on the porch, there was no point in denying he had feelings for Elena. And Stefan was so immersed in Elenaland he didn't give a shit about her anymore. Was she jealous of her doppelganger? But even if, what did Caroline have to do with that? She said she was going to use Caroline to do her dirty work, just like he had. So…

And then the pieces of the puzzle fell in place. Caroline had been his way of getting to Stefan and Elena. She wanted to put end to his brother's 'epic' romance. She wanted Stefan.

FUCK!

He needed Adam Sandler's remote control. Rewind, please! He _had_ to go back to before the Bitch returned to Mystic Falls. Or better yet, before he even met the man-eating harpy, who had reduced his life to a vicious circle of getting his heart ripped out over and over again by her gentle little hands.

"Get out," he demanded coldly. She didn't move an inch, so he walked to her. "Get. Out," he yelled in her face.

"That's not what you want," she had the boldness to say. "And that's not what _I_ want." She trailed one finger down his chest and he felt that vicious electricity once more. He caught her hand and stared at her while waiting for his brain to start working again.

She was toxic, poisonous. A disease that slowly ate you up from the inside out, leaving nothing more than a shell of what you once were. And despite the lethality she represented he was still unable to walk away. He had tried to shut his feelings off, to bury them as deep as possible. He had _really_ tried, but all his efforts had been in vain. That hideous love kept resurfacing no matter what he did.

So he clung on to the hate. And there was a lot of it. Hate for all the lies she had told him and the ones that still remained unsaid. For the life she had taken away from him and the one she had forced upon him with her empty promises.

But it was exhausting. Hating her was a burden he could barely carry any longer. He had to hold himself back in order to staying away from her, but self-control was something he didn't do very well.

So he gave in to her once again. He wiped the knowing grin off her face by brushing his lips against hers roughly, violently. In less than a second he had her completely naked and against a wall. The impact caused a painting to fall off and the frame cracked when it touched the floor.

"If we keep on like this, we're gonna tear down the house," she mumbled against his lips. He couldn't care less. He needed her to feed his most self-destructing addiction. Hell could unleash and it wouldn't make any difference.


	3. No One To Blame But Yourself

**Chapter 3 No One To Blame But Yourself**

_Why can't I keep my fucking mouth shut?_ He coursed himself. He couldn't stop the scene from replaying in his mind like a broken record.

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><p>"Put it out. I can't reach it, Elena," he pleaded. Elena grabbed the arrow sticking out of his back hesitantly. He'd actually be surprised if a week passed by and neither fire nor wood had threatened his life. It was getting tedious. "Just put the damn thing out. It hurts." She finally gathered the courage to remove it and he shook off the momentary pain. "That bitch is dead!" he singsonged turning around.<p>

"No! You're not gonna kill her!" she protested with that judgy tone of hers.

"Why?" he asked confused. "Don't you see how dangerous her Buffy complex is? The world will be a safer place without her," he reasoned, improvising some big-picture perspective. Elena narrowed her eyes at him, her jaw clenched. Thank God she didn't have Bonnie's powers or he would've probably experienced what instantaneous combustion felt like. "Oh, come on! She tried to kill you! _And_ my back's gonna feel sore the rest of the evening!"

"Damon, don't. _Please_."

Doing his best not to let her get to him he walked towards the door but she blocked him. He stepped to the side and she mirrored him immediately. She tried to stare him down, using her most incriminating glare, but clearly she didn't know him very well. Damon forgot about Teresa or whatever-her-name-was and narrowed his eyes at her. He stepped to the right once again and got the same reaction from her as before. She could really go on for hours with that little game knowing the depths of her stubbornness. It was time for it to stop. He took her hand and twirled her around a few times, her hair spread into the air, giving it a floral scent. After a moment he pulled her back to him and they swayed from side to side.

"What are you doing?" she laughed, just slightly irritated.

"I thought you wanted to dance!" he shrugged and admired the smile he had put on her face. She was really beautiful. Sure, she shared Katherine's gentle features but that hardly reminded him of her anymore. Elena lived up to the meaning of her name. She was pure light. And he liked it.

"Thank you," she said shyly, looking up at him with those Disney-like chocolate eyes.

"Always a pleasure to dance with you," he smirked.

"Not about that. You saved my life."

"Well, if I don't get you back home unharmed, someone might set me on fire in my sleep," he replied. "Didn't want to risk it."

"Stop doing that!" she punched his arm. "You keep pretending you don't care about anyone but yourself. That's not true!"

"What if I do care?" he replied invading her private space as usual, smirk in place. Only this time she didn't step back. That caught him by surprise. Her proximity started affecting his trail of thought. "You don't even realize the power you have over people, do you? I still can't figure out how you convinced Bonnie, probably one of my top haters, to help Stefan get me out of that burning basement. And… I didn't get the chance to thank you for that, by the way. Not the _real_ you."

Sheer surprise was written all over Elena's face. That wasn't the kind of conversations they usually had. "Was that what you told Katherine when… you thought it was me?" she quietly asked and Damon nodded. "You're welcome," she whispered and a small smile illuminated her face, but there was something in her eyes, a glimpse of… melancholy? For a moment he thought she wished she had been the one on the porch that night. _Stop seeing what you want to see_, he thought. But wait… why was she leaning closer? His eyes drifted immediately to her half-open lips and he moved closer too. The sweet scent of her breath hit him.

But something inside him snapped and he closed his eyes fiercely. "I slept with Katherine," he breathed out. She didn't react for a few moments and he thought hopefully that she hadn't heard him. But…

"What?" she whispered, still painfully close, a reminder of what he just ruined. If he could go back he would've stoned himself to death before he could fuck up a moment like that.

Once the words sunk in she stepped back. "What?" she yelled this time. He opened his eyes just in time to receive the most rage-charged slap in world history. He had to admit he had seen that one coming.

"Ouch," he stroked his jaw and prepared for the upcoming outburst of hatred and betrayal. _Why, Damon?_ He got her right where he wanted her. Willingly! _Why_, he kept asking himself. He tried to shut out the annoying little voice inside his head telling him that she deserved to know the truth. Nope, that didn't sound like him at all.

He watched Elena as her cheeks went through every color of the rainbow until finally a furious bright crimson set in. "You fucking manipulative, self-centered, psychopathic son of a bitch," she spit out, her little hands slamming furiously against his chest. "And I thought you had changed. What am I? Your new plaything?"

"You're not," was all he was capable of saying.

She laughed hysterically. "And you actually expect me to believe that… What? You two had a fight or something and decided to get some temporarily replacement?" she snapped, deep disgust slipping through her words. "What was this? Your way of making your bitchy girlfriend jealous and pissing off Stefan at the same time? A win-win, right?"

He had run out of comebacks.

"You were never a game, Elena. She can't compare to you," he managed to say. His voice sounded aloof even to himself. His face was broken, reflecting what he truly felt for the first time in a very long time. Elena turned away, unable to either believe or watch his pain.

"How could you? She almost killed John!"

"Well, I _did_ kill him." Something between a laugh and a shriek escaped her lips. Great comeback, Einstein!

"You're defending her now?" she got even more upset, if possible. "All this time, you were plotting with her against us?" she asked, her voice shaking. He could barely resist the urge to wipe away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Caroline? How could you do that?"

"Elena it's not-"

"Don't you dare say one word. I can't believe you're with her! Don't you remember opening that nasty tomb?" her tone softened but her empathy vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "You know what? I hope she rips your heart out again. You two deserve each other," she spit out and stormed out of the room.

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><p>He caught Alaric with his peripheral vision shifting uncomfortably in the driver seat. During the hour and a half trip neither Elena nor Damon had said a word. The tension in the atmosphere was so dense you could choke on it.<p>

"What happened with you two?" he finally asked although Damon was sure he had heard at least part of their fight.

"A little disagreement, that's all. By tomorrow all that frowning will be gone, right Elena?"

"You wish," she seethed, her eyes never leaving the landscape they were passing through.

What could he say to get out of that mess? It wasn't just Elena discovering new levels of hatred towards him. The moment they stepped foot in Mystic Falls, she would go running to Stefan. And Bonnie…

Shit. He was a dead man.


	4. A Glimpse Of The Truth

**Chapter 4 A Glimpse Of The Truth**

Such a beautiful day… The warmth of the sun felt more pleasant than ever. The birds seemed to be singing for him.

"Nothing like a good kill to make my day," Damon muttered as he entered the Boarding house. He'd be prouder of himself if he'd gotten Mason to tell him what he knew about Katherine's plan… but still, she needed the lovesick puppy for something and his death meant he'd postponed her getting though with it at least for a while. And he'd been wrong. And being wrong had never felt so good. She wasn't after Stefan. At least that wasn't her main goal. The now dead werewolf was part of her schemes and even though Damon was back to the beginning, to not knowing, what he knew tasted delicious. Maybe there was a chance for them after all. He didn't even care how naïve it was. He had hope again and he didn't want to let go. If he could just find out once and for all what trouble she was planning on causing…

Damon walked into the parlor and poured himself some Scotch to celebrate the small victory. But his happy peaceful moment was short-lived, of course.

"Where were you?" came Stefan's annoying voice from behind him. "Were you with Katherine again?"

"No need to act like a jealous housewife, brother." He put the glass down on the table and approached him. "Look, you have nothing to worry about. Let me tell you a little secret," he put a hand on his brother's shoulder and whispered conspiratorially, "I'm something like a double agent."

Stefan narrowed his eyes at him and opened his mouth to speak. But he himself didn't know whose side he was on… Yeah, he enjoyed annoying Katherine for a change. But was he with or against her? Only time would tell… So he changed the subject.

"How come Elena doesn't come over anymore? She did quite a good job at keeping you from bugging me."

"You know why," Stefan replied and a flash of the disastrous trip to Duke crossed his mind. Katherine, Elena. Elena, Katherine. What a mindfuck. At least there was a chance he could have one of them… "Look," Stefan spoke again, breaking his trance. "Just… break up with her. It's for your own good."

"You think you can persuade to stop seeing Katherine?" Damon laughed stubbornly. The last thing he needed was _Stefan_ to protect him. "I think I may have overestimated your wits."

"Do whatever you want, then," Stefan snapped throwing his hands into the air. "But not here, in this house, in this tow-"

"_My_ house too, Stef!" he patted him on the shoulder.

Then the front door flung open and they both looked at Katherine, whose clenching teeth could probably be heard miles away.

"We have to talk," she seethed. "Now." Well, that was inevitable…

"Wouldn't want to keep the lady waiting," he waved at Stefan as Katherine practically dragged him upstairs to his room.

"Well, how was your day, honey?"

"You shouldn't have killed Mason," Katherine said. No stalling then…

"Oops, I guess you'll have to get yourself a new boy toy," he mocked her. He was quite proud of himself, he couldn't help it. She was fury impersonated. "Why so mad, Kat? Don't tell me wolf boy had gotten under your skin. You sure had him under your spell… But, please, would you really get so low as to fall for a surfer _and_ a werewolf?"

"Stop it! You're not the jealous type," she seethed walking towards him. "If you were-"

"What? I would've killed my brother instead?" he scoffed. "You're not worth the trouble, sweetheart," he whispered. "Though, he _has_ given me a few good reasons to do it…" The muscles on her temples twitched and in a flash her gentle-looking hands were holding him up, choking him. "I got that right, at least, huh? You still _love _Stefan," he spat out with as much disgust as he could gather.

"As if you don't start drooling every time that sweet, innocent Elena enters in the room," she fired back. And something changed in her eyes, revealing a part of her he had thought nonexistent. She was hurt, vulnerable. Her hold on his throat loosened up. "But that's not the point. Stop trying to stop me. Please."

Oh, how desperate she must have been to articulate that little word…

"Tell me what I shouldn't try to stop then," he asked her softly and for the first time he was concerned. He wanted to know what was going on inside her head, what she wanted, what she needed, what she feared. "Tell me, Katherine."

And he saw it in her eyes, she wanted to. "Not yet," she breathed instead.

"Then what the hell are we doing?" he pushed her aside. "I'm done with this," he pointed at himself and then at her," whatever it is, Kat! You either spill your guts or I'll keep on interfering on whatever you have going on. I don't trust you, ok? I can't! You're probably gonna laugh in my face, but I finally feel at home. Here. And you're a threat to that. And even though I still…" he swallowed hard," love you… I won't let you destroy it. You're not the center of my universe, Katherine. Not anymore. So… speak or get out."

She seemed to consider it for a moment then she shook her head. God, if she only weren't too damn stubborn. "I'm doing this for us, Damon. Soon you'll see." She ran her fingers across the side of his face. He pushed her away.

"It better be soon."

And she was gone.


End file.
